Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1935 THE GREAT ZANUCK! Has The "Boy Wonder" Lost His Magic Touch Or, Has He Been Thrown For A Loss By Mass Production? In this year of film studio upheavals no Greater mystery confounds the industry than the collapce of the popular Darryl Zanuck myth. A myth of near-invincibility that was responsible fcr making him the moct widely heralded production man in film business. And a myth, the build-up of which now accentuates his failure to deliver fcr 20th Century-Fox in the same manner that he made good with Warner Bros, and with his own 20th Century company. Has Darryl Zanurk bitten off more than he can chew? Has the acclaimed genuis, who earned for himself the title of "Boy Wonder," been thrown fcr a loss by dat ole dtbbil MASS PRODUCTION? These are the thoughts uppermost in the minds of the battle-scarred exhibitor who, for years, has been buying picture pearls on paper, only to find them paste imitations in the can. When he contracted fcr the 1935-36 20th Century-Fox product, the name Zanuck made it seem that he was buying gilt edge securities in film and he paid accordingly. But, today, that exhibitor is pounding the door of the Fox exchange, demanding a reduction in the prices, calling for cancellations of the duds and hurling a tirade of condemnation upon the head of the unfortunate salesman who, too, was oversold on the mighty man Zanuck. The hoaxed, bewildered and oft-swindled picture buyer finds many conflicting facts in his effort to solve the mystery of the great Zanuck Flop. How is he to reconcile the recent 1935 efforts of this short, slim, weazened man with the youthful genius of a year ago, a decade ago? Is this the same stripling who is credited with stepping into an indifferent production company on the verge of ruin and, with the aid of a police dog, helping to develop it into a multimillionaire preposition? Zanuck has been acclaimed fcr giving Warner Bros, a new lease on life, of infusing one of the laggard Hollywood studios with the spirit and vitality of youth, of progress. While with Warners, he was named as the man who brought that company to the forefront with pictures torn from the headlines of the day. It was said that before the ink of a sensational story was dry on the country's newspapers, Darryl Zanuck had already put a script writer to work on an original story. Nat Jack Warner, head of the studio, but Zanuck, was handed the laurels for making Warners the leaders among the producers of topical films. — ^ By George Hering ^— Yet, today, we see that Warner Bros., two years after the mighty Darryl's exit, still ahead of the rest of Hollywood in producing pictures on topical subjects! But, it would be contrary to well-grounded fact to ignore the man's ability, his achievements. The eighteen features he turned out fcr the original 20th Century over a two-year period were above average in most instances. Several, like "The House of Rothschild" and "Les Miserables," were out:tanding productions. On the whole, the 20th Century product, released through United Artists, was of a higS standard and the industry's confidence in Zanuck was built largely on his accomplishments w.th that company during its two years' existence. When, at the inception of the 1935-36 season, there came the announcement of the combination of Twentieth Century and Fox, the entire industry was agog. Great things were predicted fcr this dynamic man Zanuck, who had reputedly rescued one producing company from the brink of extinction and built another from an idta. Here was a great spot for him — a tremendous organization with a vast studio which was discontented, disco-dant and demoralized. Fox Film, played around with by bankers who knew nothing of the industry and who insisted that methods successful in other businesses be applied to the motion picture industry, was at last to fall into the hands of an experienced, yes, the master, film producer! But, what happened to Zanuck since he assumed complete charge of enormous, complex Movietone City? Still a young man, it cannot be that maturity has robbed him of his genius for sensing new cycles and creating them with a smash success. He has not been out-moded — the brain is too fertile. Why, then, has he lost the touch — the ability to time the pulse of the public and give them what they want when they want it? The fact is that the demon MASS PRODUCTION has "gotten" Zanuck. No longer has the "Boy Wonder" a mere nine features per season on which to concentrate, to analyze, to build up, to have rewritten, to reshoot, if need be, to take time with and to bend every effort toward making each a polished, thoroughly done production. He's in the WHOLESALE picture business now. Fifty-five to sixty-five features are on his schedule — more than one per week! While he is not the actual producer of them all, he car ries the burden of supervising some of the details of every one. Where is the Zanuck talent visible in "Bad Boy"? in "Your Uncle Dudley"? In "Navy Wife"? Nowhere in these commonplace, unnecessary movies is evident the genius of the mighty little giant of filmdom? But, since these can be pointed to as the lowly "program" pictures not uncommon to any of the major studios today, let us look at those that are more indicative of the man Zanuck himself. For his personal attention and bearing his awesome name, the company set aside (at much h:gher rentals, of course) twelve super-specials, known as the "20th Century Group," or the "Zanucks." Here, surely, should the talent of the peerless one be obvious, even to the untrained eye! Of his twlve, Mr. Zanuck has delivered four. "Metropolitan" boasted the superb singing of Lawrence Tibbett, but there ceased its claim to distinction. As a movie it was mediocre, employing a flimsy plot as the merest excuse for connecting Tibbett's songs. It showed no originality and much that had been done before. As for boxoffice value, its appeal was definitely limited to better class audiences and many exhibitors wisely cancelled it. while those who gambled with it suffered poor receipts. "Thanks a Million," more than any other film produced by 20th Century-Fox thus far, demonstrates what Zanuck might do. It has originality, universal audience appeal and shrewd balancing of names. Intelligent and tareful planning is apparent in this one. [j was planned as, and is proving to be, sun lif t boxoffice. Ronaid Oilman, one of the most dependable stars on the screen, has never appeared in a weaker or a poorer directed film than "The Man Who Broke the Bank it Monte Carlo." third of the Zanuck specials. This will probably hit a new low for a Colman film and it deserves no better fate. Months after the G-Man versus gangster cycle had reached its peak, Zanuck came through with "Show Them No Mercy." It is a good film, but its chances at the boxoffice do not rale very highly because the public has had its fill of this l>pc of story. The ex-leader followed them all! (Continued on Page 12)